Amber eyes
by Magairlin
Summary: Thoughts of a old wives tale about love plagues Jiraiya's mind. Allowing him to come to his own conclusions about it all. A short story? Rated T for a little bit of suggestiveness.


**Disclaimer:** Clearly I don't own anything but the simple idea. Rated T for just a hint of suggestiveness.

I don't know what this could be considered. But none the less it is what it is. Just a little stuck in Jiraiya's head. Please, do reveiw and let me know what you all think! Pretty please?

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><p>A man falls in love three times in his life. Says a old wives tale.<p>

The first being his first love, child hood crush. Learning the first steps to a woman's heart. The second being the one he has married. The woman he felt best to love him no matter his choices. The chosen woman to bare and raise his children. The third and finale one being his mistress. A tempting woman who could pull him from the one he had spent most his life with. His true love and soul mate.

What did that exactly mean? Did that mean the so many men who were well past their ripe years miss the opportunity to fall for the woman who they wanted to have children with? Were they the more fortunate or less fortunate to only fall for two different woman then three? After all isn't it men who take breakups worse then say a woman? Or was that tale nothing but a crack pot story, a excuse for those men who had a wondering nature?

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><p>Jiraiya had heard this tale once or twice before, and though he had doubt about this theory he couldn't help but allow the thoughts of "The one" getting away plagueing his mind.<p>

He couldn't help but reminisce about all the lovely ladies he had encountered. Some encounters good while others he just would prefer to have forgotten, lost in the back of his mind. Had he subconsciously been on a search for the second or third love of his life. All instead of his simple research, which seemed to get him in more trouble then what it was worth at times. All that seeming like a mere ploy as he helplessly continued on his journey.

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><p>He sighed as he leaned against the base of a large shady tree, the giggles and squeals of active and surely highly attractive young ladies flying along the currents of the soft breeze. Though most times he would have been rushing over to get a peak or two at the woman nature without a man's influence. He didn't this time. His brilliant mind not even brushing the dirty thoughts that generally arose at the sounds of such squeals. lips not even moving from their contemplative line to the perverted smirk he normally got.<p>

Instead his mind stuck in the past, trapped listing off the near endless line of names that belonged to woman he had been with. None matching his qualifications of the perfect one for him, even if at the time he had thought he was in love with them. A list from A to Z and a few missing in between.

He recalled all the times he had been turned down. From his youth till now. His first love had been a fair haired beauty with more spunk then she could even handle. She had turned him down a countless number of times. It had been a year or two before his own persistence finally got the better of her, when she had finally agreed to go out on a date with him. Though why it hadn't went any further then that first date, he couldn't figure out. All he could remember was the crushed feeling he had dealt with after she had denied him once again, her reasons all her own.

It had been years since he had thought of her in that way. Years since he had given up on the notion of making her his. Sure, he had encountered many woman who had potential on being his life mate. With curvy hips both easy to pull towards him and a comfy resting place for the babes that would hang off her. Large chests that would be just all to much fun for him to play with, and subconsciously meant his children would eat well.

But he could just never commit. Even when one or two had made it obvious they wanted him more then he was willing to be to them.

Was he just afraid of commitment? No. There was nothing wrong with the romantic notions of marriage. Nothing wrong wanting to grow old with a woman you loved with all your heart, who plagued your thoughts more then you are willing to admit to.

So his mind drifted back to the conclusion either he had missed the one, or that a man only ever really fell in love once in his life. But then what was love? Certainly it wasn't the smut he wrote about, and in that case how could a man just settle down with one beautiful woman? Though passion was indeed a key ingredient in a relationship, or so he thought. After all it wasn't love without passion, then it would just simply make it infatuation.

He sighed at his thoughts as he situated himself to a more comfortable position against the shady tree he had been leaning against nearly all day. " Love." He sighed again as his mind continued to wonder about the possibilities of having children at his age. Or even if he could settle down after being such a free spirit for so many years.

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><p>The wonder of being in love wasn't the issue any longer. He knew he was, had been for years past his youth. The false idea of being anything else, to be in love with three other woman who weren't already part of his family; fanciful thinking to get her out of his mind.<p>

So why did he wait so long to finally admit to himself, his true feelings about the amber eyed woman? It wasn't the matter he was afraid of rejection. She and many other's had done so, so many times before he didn't have enough fingers and toes times ten to count on.

So what was his issue? None that he could put a logical meaning behind it all. Now fully convincing himself that the woman of his dreams was indeed her and the theory of a man falling in love three times was nothing more then a scorned woman's words to warn all others not to let a man get so close to their own hearts.

He stood from his comfortable spot in the grass, using the base of the tree to help his ageing body to get to his feet. He knew what he then needed to do. He knew now he had been all too miserable threw out his quickly passing life, to just allow her to keep evading his grip. He wanted her, and only her even if he knew his eyes would wonder though his heart had always and will be hers.

"Tsunade." The name fell from his lips as he looked up into the melting sky. The shades of orange spreading across the depleting day sky. The sunset only adding to his longing to look into her sparkling amber eyes.


End file.
